Surgical stapler adapter with flexible cable assembly, flexible fingers, and contact clips

ABSTRACT

A surgical device includes a handle assembly including a controller and a first electrical connector. The surgical device also includes an adapter assembly having: a tubular housing having a proximal end portion configured to couple to the handle assembly, and a distal end portion; a second electrical connector disposed at the proximal end portion and configured to couple to the first electrical connector; an electrical contact assembly disposed at the distal end portion; and a wire harness disposed within the tubular housing and interconnecting the second electrical connector and the electrical contact assembly. The surgical device also includes a surgical end effector configured to couple to the distal end portion of the adapter assembly, the surgical end effector includes an electrical contact configured to couple to the electrical contact assembly.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/772,281 filed Nov. 28, 2018 the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to surgical devices. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to adapter assemblies for use with surgical stapler devices having electrical contacts that clip onto flexible fingers of a flexible cable.

2. Background of Related Art

Surgical fastener devices for applying fasteners or staples to tissue are well known. These fastener devices include single use devices which are preloaded with one or more staples and are disposable after a single use. Multiple use devices are also available and are preloaded with a plurality of staples. Multiple use devices may include a handle assembly that is electromechanically, e.g., powered, or manually actuated. These devices may be used with single use loading units (SULU) or multiple use loading units (MULU). The loading units include a body and an end effector, and are attached to the handle assembly, either directly or via an adapter assembly couplable to the handle assembly.

A number of surgical device manufacturers have developed product lines with proprietary powered drive systems for operating and/or manipulating the surgical device. The powered handle assembly and the loading unit may be electrically interconnected. Accordingly, the adapter assemblies include electrical components, such as cables, switches, circuit boards, and the like. Thus, there is a need for electrical connectors suitable for use with the adapter assemblies that can withstand mechanical stresses encountered during use.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a surgical device is disclosed. The surgical device includes a handle assembly including a controller and a first electrical connector. The surgical device also includes an adapter assembly having: a tubular housing having a proximal end portion configured to couple to the handle assembly, and a distal end portion; a second electrical connector disposed at the proximal end portion and configured to couple to the first electrical connector; an electrical contact assembly disposed at the distal end portion; and a wire harness disposed within the tubular housing and interconnecting the second electrical connector and the electrical contact assembly. The surgical device also includes a surgical end effector configured to couple to the distal end portion of the adapter assembly, the surgical end effector includes an electrical contact configured to couple to the electrical contact assembly.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a surgical device adapter assembly is disclosed. The surgical device adapter assembly includes: a tubular housing having a proximal end portion configured to couple to a handle assembly, and a distal end portion configured to couple to a surgical end effector; an electrical connector disposed at the proximal end portion; an electrical contact assembly disposed at the distal end portion; and a wire harness disposed within the tubular housing and interconnecting the electrical connector and the electrical contact assembly.

According to one aspect of any of the above embodiments, the wiring harness is a flexible cable. The adapter assembly may further include a switch actuated in response to the surgical end effector being coupled to the adapter assembly. The flexible cable may be coupled to the switch and include a flexible finger coupled to the electrical contact assembly.

According to one aspect of any of the above embodiments, the adapter assembly may include a rotatable lock member. The electrical contact assembly may include a housing having a cantilevered tongue configured to attach the electrical contact assembly to the rotatable lock member.

According to a further aspect of any of the above embodiments, the electrical contact assembly may also include a contact clip secured in a depression formed on the housing. The flexible finger may be electrically coupled to the contact clip, which may include a contact portion and an attachment portion that is configured to engage the electrical contact. The attachment portion may be folded over to secure the flexible finger to the contact clip. The flexible finger may include an exposed portion of a conductive layer that is soldered to the contact clip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a handheld surgical device, an adapter assembly, an end effector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a connection of the adapter assembly and the handle assembly of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is perspective view of internal components of the handle assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is cross-sectional view of the adapter assembly taken along a section plane “4-4” of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is cross-sectional view of the adapter assembly taken along a section plane “5-5” of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, with parts separated, of the surgical loading unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the adapter assembly and the loading unit illustrating an activation mechanism according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a side view of a wiring harness according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view, with parts separated, of a flexible finger of the wiring harness of FIG. 8 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of internal components of the adapter assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a distal end portion of the adapter assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the distal end portion of the adapter assembly with flexible fingers coupled to electrical contacts according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the flexible fingers of FIG. 12 coupled to electrical contacts attached to a rotatable lock member according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the flexible fingers coupled to electrical contacts according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a top view of a contact clip according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the contact clip of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a top view of a contact clip according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the contact clip of FIG. 17; and

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a contact clip according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present disclosure are now described in detail with reference to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding elements in each of the several views. As used herein, the term “clinician” refers to a doctor, a nurse or any other care provider and may include support personnel. Throughout this description, the term “proximal” will refer to the portion of the device or component thereof that is closer to the clinician and the term “distal” will refer to the portion of the device or component thereof that is farther from the clinician. Additionally, in the drawings and in the description that follows, terms such as front, rear, upper, lower, top, bottom, and similar directional terms are used simply for convenience of description and are not intended to limit the disclosure. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the present disclosure in unnecessary detail.

The present disclosure provides an adapter assembly including a flexible cable running longitudinally within the adapter assembly. The adapter assembly interconnects a handle assembly and a loading unit. The cable transfers electrical signals from a rotating ring, which engages a loading unit, to the handle assembly. The flexible cable avoids using stranded wires to transfer signals from the rotating ring to the flexible cable by using the wires with fingers incorporated directly into a distal end of the flexible cable. The flexible fingers are soldered to contact clips of the electrical contact assemblies which are attached to the rotating ring. The contact clips conduct signals from the loading unit. The contact clips have features which clip onto the flexible fingers to relieve stress from the solder joints themselves. In particular, coupling flexible fingers of the flexible cable to the electrical contact assemblies, which are in turn coupled to the rotatable lock member imparts physical strain onto the electrical connection between the flexible fingers and the electrical contact assemblies. The present disclosure, which relies on soldering and securing the flexible fingers directly to the respective electrical contact clips, mitigates the mechanical stress imparted on the flexible fingers and the electrical contact clips due to rotation of the rotatable lock member, which prevents the flexible fingers from detaching from the electrical contact assemblies.

Use of a single flexible cable also reduces the number of parts used in the adapter assembly by obviating the need for additional wires. Using wire connectors also requires cutting wires to length and stripping to a predetermined length. Soldering the wires and creating service loops to relieve stress from the solder joints is also a labor-intensive process. The flexible fingers eliminate the need for the cutting/stripping process and providing slack loops. Manufacturing the flexible fingers to the proper length is more repeatable and easier to control than cutting and stripping the wires. The assembly of the distal electronics system is also more repeatable with the flexible fingers. The flexible cable may be printed in a flat state and formed into the desired configuration during the assembly process. Dimensions of the flexible cable may also easily be adjusted and reprinted for optimization.

With reference to FIG. 1, a powered surgical device 10 includes a handle assembly 20, which is configured for selective connection with an adapter assembly 30, which in turn, is configured for selective connection with a loading unit 40 having an end effector 44,. Although generally referred to as being a powered surgical device, it is contemplated that the surgical device 10 may be manually actuated and may include various configurations.

The handle assembly 20 includes a handle housing 22 having a lower housing portion 24, an intermediate housing portion 26 extending from and/or supported on a portion of the lower housing portion 24, and an upper housing portion 28 extending from and/or supported on a portion of the intermediate housing portion 26. As shown in FIG. 2, a distal portion of the upper housing portion 28 defines a nose or connecting portion 28 a that is configured to accept a proximal end portion 30 b of the adapter assembly 30.

With reference to FIG. 2, the connecting portion 28 a of the upper housing portion 28 includes an electrical receptacle 29 having a plurality of electrical contacts 31, which are in electrical communication with electronic (e.g., main controller 38) and electrical components (e.g., power source 37) of the handle assembly 20 (FIG. 3). The adapter assembly 30 includes a counterpart electrical connector 32 that is configured to engage the electrical receptacle 29. The electrical connector 32 also includes a plurality of electrical contacts 34 that engage and electrically connect to their counterpart electrical contacts 31.

With reference to FIG. 3, the handle assembly 20 includes one or more motors 36 which are coupled to a power source 37. The handle assembly 20 also includes a main controller 38 for operating the motors 36 and other electronic components of the handle assembly 20, the adapter assembly 30, and the loading unit 40. The motors 36 are coupled to corresponding drive shafts 39 (FIG. 2), which are configured to engage sockets 33 on the proximal end portion 30 b, such that rotation of the drive shafts 39 is imparted on the sockets 33.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the adapter assembly 30 includes a tubular housing 30 a that extends between a proximal end portion 30 b that is configured for operable connection to the connecting portion 28 a of the handle assembly 20 and an opposite, distal end portion 30 c that is configured for operable connection to the loading unit 40. The adapter assembly 30 includes actuation assemblies 35 each of which is coupled to one of the sockets 33. The actuation assemblies 35 are configured to transfer rotational motion of the sockets 33 into linear motion and/or rotational motion, such that the adapter assembly 30 is configured to convert a rotational motion provided by the handle assembly 20 into axial translation for rotating the adapter assembly 30 about a longitudinal axis X-X, articulate the loading unit 40, clamp tissue, eject fasteners, and cut fastened tissue.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 6, an embodiment of the loading unit 40 is shown. The loading unit 40 includes a proximal body portion 42 and a surgical end effector 44. Proximal body portion 42 is releasably attached to the distal end portion 30 c of adapter assembly 30, and end effector 44 is pivotally attached to a distal end of proximal body portion 42. End effector 44 includes an anvil assembly 46 and a cartridge assembly 48. Cartridge assembly 48 is pivotal in relation to anvil assembly 46 and is movable between an open or unclamped position and a closed or clamped position. Proximal body portion 42 includes a drive assembly 50 and an articulation link 52.

Drive assembly 50 includes a flexible drive beam 54 having a distal end portion 54 a and a proximal engagement section 54 b. The distal end portion 54 a includes an I-beam 55 having a knife 55 a. The I-beam 55 is configured to travel through the anvil assembly 46 and the cartridge assembly 48, thereby pushing the anvil assembly 46 toward the cartridge assembly 48 to clamp tissue. The proximal engagement section 54 b includes diametrically opposed inwardly extending fingers 54 c that engage a drive member 56 (FIG. 5) to fixedly secure drive member 56 to the proximal end of drive beam 54. Drive member 56 is actuated by one of the actuation assemblies 35 of adapter assembly 30.

Cartridge assembly 48 of end effector 44 includes a staple cartridge 58 removably supported in a carrier 60. Staple cartridge 58 defines a central longitudinal slot 58 a, and a plurality of linear rows of staple retention slots 58 b positioned on each side of the central longitudinal slot 58 a. Each of the staple retention slots 58 b receives a single staple 62 and a portion of a staple pusher 64. During operation of the surgical device 10, drive assembly 50 abuts an actuation sled 66 and pushes actuation sled 66 through the staple cartridge 58. As the actuation sled 66 moves through staple cartridge 58, cam wedges of the actuation sled 66 sequentially engage staple pushers 64 to move staple pushers 64 vertically within staple retention slots 58 b and sequentially eject a single staple 62 therefrom for formation against an anvil plate 46 a of anvil assembly 46.

Proximal body portion 42 of surgical loading unit 40 includes an articulation link 52 having a hooked proximal end portion 52 a which extends from a proximal end of surgical loading unit 40 which engages an opposing articulation link (not shown) coupled to another one of the actuation assemblies 35 of the adapter assembly 30. Articulation link 52 has a distal end portion 52 b pivotably secured to end effector 44.

With reference to FIG. 7, the adapter assembly 30 includes an activation mechanism 70, which provides positive feedback to the handle assembly 20 that the loading unit 40 has been properly mounted to the adapter assembly 30, and in conjunction with memory or circuit components disposed within the loading unit 40, provides information to the clinician regarding various parameters of the loading unit 40 (e.g., staple size). The activation mechanism 70 also permits repetitive mounting of multiple loading units 40 without experiencing any degradation of its mechanical and/or electrical components within the adapter assembly 30 thereby enhancing usability and ensuring proper functioning of the adapter assembly 30 over an extended number of uses.

The activation mechanism 70 includes a switch 72, which is actuated in response to insertion of the loading unit 40 into a distal end portion 30 c of the adapter assembly 30. The activation mechanism 70 is described in greater detail in a U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0128067, entitled “Surgical Device,” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, a wiring harness 74 connects the switch 72 and electrical contact assemblies 80 and 81 with the electrical connector 32. The wiring harness 74 may be a flexible cable having one or more conductive layer(s) 75 disposed on a first flexible dielectric substrate 77 and a second flexible dielectric substrate 79, which enclose the conductive layer(s) 75. The dielectric substrates 77 and 79 may be formed from any suitable flexible dielectric material including, but not limited to, polyester, polyimide, polyethylene naphthalate, polyetherimide, fluropolymers, polyether ether ketone, and combinations thereof. The conductive layer 75 may include a plurality of traces and may be formed from any conductive material, such as copper, or various alloys, and may be applied to the dielectric substrate using any subtractive (e.g., etching) or additive (e.g., screen printing) technique for forming conductive layers on a flexible dielectric substrate.

The wiring harness 74 may include any number of segments 74 a, 74 b, 74 c to allow for routing through the adapter assembly 30. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the segment 74 b is approximately perpendicular with respect to the segments 74 b and 74 c, allowing for the wiring harness 74 to be wrapped around and within various components of the distal end portion 30 c of the adapter assembly 30.

With reference to FIG. 8, the wiring harness 74 includes a proximal connector portion 76, which is coupled to the electrical connector 32. The wiring harness 74 also includes a distal connector portion 78, which is coupled to the switch 72 and a pair of electrical contact assemblies 80 and 81 (FIGS. 12-14).

With reference to FIG. 7, the loading unit 40 includes a pair of electrical contacts 41, which are configured to engage the pair of electrical contact assemblies 80 and 81 disposed within the distal end portion 30 c of the adapter assembly 30 when the loading unit 40 is inserted into the adapter assembly 30. The pair of electrical contacts 41 are coupled to a storage device 43 disposed within the loading unit 40. The storage device 43 may be encrypted and may store information pertaining to the loading unit 40 such as, usage count, sterilization cycles, staple size, jaw size, etc. The storage device 43 may be any suitable non-volatile memory, such as flash memory.

With reference to FIGS. 10-13, the electrical contact assemblies 80 and 81 are disposed at a distal end portion 88 of a rotatable lock member 90, which is configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis defined “X-X” between locked and unlocked positions in response to rotation of the loading unit 40. More specifically, after insertion of the loading unit 40 into the adapter assembly 30, the loading unit 40 is rotated therein to secure the loading unit 40. Accordingly, the rotatable lock member 90 rotates with the loading unit 40 while the electrical contact assemblies 80 and 81 of the rotatable lock member 90 maintain electrical connectivity with the pair of electrical contacts 41 of the loading unit 40.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the distal connector portion 78 includes a switch portion 82 coupled to the switch 72, and a pair of fingers 84 and 86 (each of which is coupled to corresponding electrical contact assemblies 80 and 81, respectively). With reference to FIG. 9, only finger 84 is shown for brevity although each of the fingers 84 and 86 is the same or substantially identical. The finger 84 includes a contact portion 85 with a distal portion of the second flexible dielectric substrate 79 being removed to expose the conductive layer 75.

With reference to FIG. 14, each of the electrical contact assemblies 80 and 81 are the same or substantially identical. Accordingly, only the structure and components of the electrical contact assembly 80 are described below for the sake of brevity. The electrical contact assembly 80 includes a clip-on housing 92 configured to clip or snap on to a ring portion 94 (FIG. 13) of the rotatable lock member 90. The clip-on housing 92 may be formed from any suitable high strength tensile material, such as metals and/or thermoplastics. The clip-on housing 92 includes a cantilevered tongue 95 on a first surface 93 thereof and which cantilevered tongue 95 extends from a proximal end portion 96 of the clip-on housing 92. The clip-on housing 92 also includes a lip 98 disposed at a distal end portion 97 thereof, which lip 98 extends toward the first surface 93. The cantilevered tongue 95 is separated from the lip 98 by a predetermine distance “d” which is substantially (e.g., about ±2%) the width of the ring portion 94, such that the clip-on housing 92 can be frictionally secured thereto.

The clip-on housing 92 also includes a slit 100, which transitions into a depression 102 formed on a second surface 104 thereof. The clip-on housing 92 houses a contact clip 108 or 110, each of which is coupled to the contact portion 85 of the fingers 84 and 86. The depression 102 is formed between two opposing walls 105 a and 105 b and extends from the distal end portion 97 of clip-on housing 92 until reaching a shelf 106. The depression 102 is unobstructed at its distal end allowing for the electrical contacts 41 to slide over an outer surface thereof and in particular the contact clip 108 or 110.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the contact clip 108 may be formed from a conductive material, such as copper, and may have a planar shape. The contact clip 108 includes a contact portion 112 and an attachment portion 114. The contact portion 112 is configured to slide into the slit 100 and over the depression 102, thereby providing an electrical contact for the electrical contact 41. The contact portion 112 may include one or more protrusions 102 a, which secure the contact portion 112 between the walls 105 a and 105 b. The attachment portion 114 is parallel to the contact portion 112 and is connected thereto by a segment 113 which is perpendicular to the contact portion and the attachment portion 114. Since the contact clip 108 is formed from a metal, the attachment portion 114 may be bent to secure the finger 84 as shown in FIG. 16. In particular, the contact portion 85 of the finger 84 may be electrically coupled to the contact portion 112 of the contact clip 108 via soldering or any other suitable methods. The finger 84 is secured by bending the attachment portion 114 about the finger 84 thereby securing it to the contact clip 108. The finger 84 is placed on the segment 113, namely, parallel thereto, and perpendicular to the contact portion 112. Thereafter, the attachment portion 114 is wrapped once or more about the finger 84, such that the finger 84 is disposed between two layers of the attachment portion 114. The attachment portion 114 may be wrapped about its backside.

With reference to FIGS. 17 and 18, the contact clip 110 is substantially similar to the contact clip 108 and only the differences therebetween are described below. The contact clip 110 also includes a contact portion 122, however, an attachment portion 124 is coupled directly to the contact portion 112 and is perpendicular thereto. The finger 86 is placed on the contact portion 122, namely, parallel thereto, and the attachment portion 124 is wrapped once or more about the finger 86, such that the finger 86 is disposed between two layers of the attachment portion 124. The attachment portion 124 may be wrapped about the backside of the contact portion 122. The contact portion 85 of the finger 86 is also electrically coupled to the contact portion 122 of the contact clip 110 via soldering or any other suitable methods.

With reference to FIG. 19, a contact clip 130 is substantially similar to the contact clips 108 and 110 and only the differences therebetween are described below. The contact clip 130 includes a contact portion 132 and an attachment portion 134, which extends directly from the contact portion 132 and is parallel thereto. The attachment portion 134 includes a pair of opposing fingers 135 a and 135 b, which are configured to be wrapped about the contact portion 132. The finger 84 or 86 is placed across the contact portion 132, namely, perpendicular thereto, and the attachment portion 134 is bent onto the contact portion 132. Thereafter, the fingers 135 a and 135 b are bent about a backside of the contact portion 132.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiments of the presently disclosed adapter assemblies. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A surgical device comprising: a handle assembly including a controller and a first electrical connector; an adapter assembly including: a tubular housing having a proximal end portion configured to couple to the handle assembly, and a distal end portion; a second electrical connector disposed at the proximal end portion and configured to couple to the first electrical connector; an electrical contact assembly disposed at the distal end portion; and a wire harness disposed within the tubular housing and interconnecting the second electrical connector and the electrical contact assembly; and a surgical end effector configured to couple to the distal end portion of the adapter assembly, the surgical end effector includes an electrical contact configured to couple to the electrical contact assembly.
 2. The surgical device according to claim 1, wherein the wiring harness is a flexible cable.
 3. The surgical device according to claim 2, wherein the adapter assembly further includes a switch actuated in response to the surgical end effector being coupled to the adapter assembly.
 4. The surgical device according to claim 3, wherein the flexible cable is coupled to the switch and includes a flexible finger coupled to the electrical contact assembly.
 5. The surgical device according to claim 4, wherein the adapter assembly includes a rotatable lock member.
 6. The surgical device according to claim 5, wherein the electrical contact assembly includes a housing having a cantilevered tongue configured to attach the electrical contact assembly to the rotatable lock member.
 7. The surgical device according to claim 6, wherein the electrical contact assembly includes a contact clip secured in a depression formed on the housing.
 8. The surgical device according to claim 7, wherein the flexible finger is electrically coupled to the contact clip.
 9. The surgical device according to claim 8, wherein the contact clip includes a contact portion and an attachment portion.
 10. The surgical device according to claim 9, wherein the contact portion is configured to engage the electrical contact.
 11. The surgical device according to claim 10, wherein the attachment portion is folded over to secure the flexible finger to the contact clip.
 12. The surgical device according to claim 11, wherein the flexible finger includes an exposed portion of a conductive layer that is soldered to the contact clip.
 13. A surgical device adapter assembly comprising: a tubular housing having a proximal end portion configured to couple to a handle assembly, and a distal end portion configured to couple to a surgical end effector; an electrical connector disposed at the proximal end portion; an electrical contact assembly disposed at the distal end portion; and a wire harness disposed within the tubular housing and interconnecting the electrical connector and the electrical contact assembly.
 14. The surgical device adapter assembly according to claim 13, wherein the wiring harness is a flexible cable.
 15. The surgical device adapter assembly according to claim 14, wherein the flexible cable includes a flexible finger coupled to the electrical contact assembly.
 16. The surgical device adapter assembly according to claim 15, further comprising a rotatable lock member configured to engage a surgical end effector.
 17. The surgical device adapter assembly according to claim 16, wherein the electrical contact assembly includes a housing having a cantilevered tongue configured to attach the electrical contact assembly to the rotatable lock member.
 18. The surgical device adapter assembly according to claim 17, wherein the electrical contact assembly includes a contact clip secured in a depression formed on the housing and the flexible finger is electrically coupled to the contact clip.
 19. The surgical device adapter assembly according to claim 18, wherein the contact clip includes a contact portion and an attachment portion, the contact portion is configured to engage an electrical contact of a surgical end effector, and the attachment portion is folded over to secure the flexible finger to the contact clip.
 20. The surgical device adapter assembly according to claim 19, wherein the flexible finger includes an exposed portion of a conductive layer that is soldered to the contact clip. 